Spring assembly unit having base support



Jan. 10, 1956 w. w. GLEASON SPRING ASSEMBLY UNIT HAVING BASE SUPPORT H Filed April 2, 195?.

INVENTOR. Wz/[z'am w Gleason United States Patent SPRING ASSEMBLY UNIT HAVING BASE SUPPORT William W. Gleason, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Nachman Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application April 2, 1952, Serial No. 280,039

3 Claims. (Cl. 5-266) My invention relates to spring assembly units and particularly to units adapted for upholstery.

In the art of making spring assembly units, particularly those for cushions, it has been customary to assemble a group of coil springs, usually in rows, to secure a border wire or frame by means of clips or other fastening devices to the outer edges of the top convolutions of the marginal springs of the group, and to connect the tops of adjacent rows of springs together by helical or hog Wires. Generally, there are no connecting means for the bottom coils of the spring assembly unit.

The top portion of this unit, having been assembled as described, the cushion units are sent to upholsterers to be incorporated into chairs, sofas, or the like. In these spring assembly units for upholstery there is not provided any bottom support for the coil springs, and the upholsterer must furnish such base supports as he deems adequate. These base supports, in order to provide some resiliency, take the form of webbing, resilient, relatively wide flat wire, or a resilient sinuous or zig-zag wire.

Considerable difiiculty on the part of the upholsterer is involved in securing the base of the spring assembly unit to such base supporting means in order to provide an efiicient structure. The bottom convolution of each of the coils of the assembly unit must be secured to the base support in a manner which will prevent these coils from shifting out of their intended position. Such fastening requires a plurality of connections with the base supporting means for each coil, and involves a great number of individual hand operations to fasten the bottom of each coil to the support member. Also, when these prior art structures are used, a supply of base support members must be ordered and stocked separately by the upholsterer and .kept available for use as needed. It can thus be seen that the individual purchase and storing of support members requires time and storage space, and the fastening of the spring assembly units to the support members is expensive and time-consuming in that many individual hand operations are involved.

One of the objects of my invention, therefore, is to provide a spring assembly unit having simple and efiicient means to form a sturdy and resilient base.

Another object of my invention is to provide a spring assembly unit having a base support therefor incorp rated in the unit.

A further object of my invention is to provide a spring assembly unit having a base support which may be secured to the spring assembly unit by machine operations at the factory of the spring assembly fabricator.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a spring assembly unit having a base support incorporated therein and assembly in such manner that the individual coils of a row are retained in spaced relationship to each other, and in which the rows of coil springs are retained in spaced relationship one from the other.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a spring assembly unit having a base support, which unit is relatively simple and inexpensive to assemble, and

2,729,830 Patented Jan. 10, 1956 ICC which may be shipped to upholstery fabricators as a unitary structure.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description and the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of my spring assembly unit;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the structure shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The spring assembly unit of my invention consists of a plurality of coil springs 10 which may be of any conventional size and shape. These springs may be arranged in rows as shown, the number of springs in a row and the number of rows of springs being determined by the size of the unit desired. When coil springs 10 of the type shown in Fig. 1 are arranged in a plurality of rows the upper convolutions of the coils in each row are in substantial abutting relationship, and the rows may be spaced one from another at such distance as to provide the re siliency desired. A border frame 12 of round or flat wire is placed in position adjacent the outer edges of the top convolutions of the marginal springs of the group and secured thereto by a plurality of fastening means, such as clips 13.

To provide a support for the base of the coils of the assembly unit there is included a conventional type of resilient Wire known as zig-zag wire 14 formed of generally U-shaped portions having straight leg sections,

which U-shaped portions are serially, alternately posi-- tioned. The wire 14 is of a gauge and resiliency to hold;

the coils in their normal expanded position, and to pro vide flexibility when subjected to weight in use. Thesesupporting wires 14 have end portions 16 and 18 extending outwardly of the bottom convolutions of the coil springs of each row, which end portions are used to secure the supporting wires and the spring assembly units to the frame of the structure to which the spring assembly is to be applied. The U-shaped portions of the supporting wire 14 are so dimensioned in relationship to the size of the bottom convolution of the coil spring that the straight leg sections of these U-shaped portions are spaced from each other a distance slightly less than the radius of the bottom convolution of the coil spring.

Strips of the zig-zag supporting wire 14 are laid across the bottom convolutions of the coils 10a of the springs of each row, and because of the size relationship between the diameter of the bottom convolution of the coil springs and the distance between the straight leg sections of the U-shaped portions of this supporting wire the bottom of the coils may be moved to a position where alternate straight leg sections of the supporting wire will be in overlapping relationship with opposite sides of said convolution.

After the supporting wires 14 have been placed in position over the bottom convolutions 10a of the coil springs 10 on each of the rows, the first coil of the row is shifted to position in overlapping relationship with alternate straight leg sections of the U-shaped portion. A helical wire 20 having a diameter slightly larger than the combined thickness of the supporting wire 14 and the coil spring 10 is spun into place to encircle and hold in overlapped relationship the arc of the coil spring 10a and the straight leg section of the support wire 14 by which it is overlapped. This helical is spun into position by a conventional helical forming and spinning machine.

The bottom convolution of the coil of the first spring second row, and the helical 20 is advanced by the spinning operation to encircle the arc of the bottom convolution of the coil spring of the second row and the overlapping portion of the support member for that row. Similar positioning is eifected between the first coil springs ofthe third and succeeding rows, and the sup port members placed thereover, and the helicaliis similarly advanced to secure the support members to the bottom convolution ofthe first coil of each of the rows: When the helical has been advanced across all of the rows-the terminalcoils of the helical are bent back upon the adjacent coil to form a closed loop to prevent displacement ofthe helical by further rotation.

When these parts have been thus assembled it will be noted that because ofthe size relationship between the diameter of the. bottom convolution of the coilspring and the distance between alternate straight leg sections of the U-shaped portions of thesupporting member, the areof the bottom convolution of the first coil spring. of each row opposite from thatpreviously secured to the base member is in overlapping relationship to an alternate straight leg section of the support member placed over that row. These parts are secured in such overlapping relationship by means of a second helical wire 20b in the same manner as described above in connection with the first row. The bottom convolutions of the second and succeeding coil springs of each of the rows are then placed in position with respect to the support member 14 in the same manner as those of the first row, and these coil springs are secured in overlapping relationship with the support members by means of additional helicals in the manner described above.

When this assembly has been completed it will be seen, as shown in Fig. 1, that there is provided a spring assembly unit with a base support member for attachment to aframe, and that the support member and spring assembly unit constitute a unitary structure. It will also be observed that the individual strips of wire comprising the base support structure is in contact with each ofthe coils to be supported at a plurality of points around the periphery of the bottom convolutions of such coil. In addition, the supporting wires 14 when in assembled relationship with the coil springs hold these springs in a predetermined position spaced one from another, and such assembly prevents each of the coils from shifting.- out of its intended .position. The helical cross wires used to secure the supporting member and coils in overlapped relationship in additionspace the rows one from another in a predetermined position and serve further to transmit any unusual vertical or horizontal stresses on any one coil spring or on any one row of springs to the adjacent springs and rows thereof.

It will be seen from the above description that all of the operations involved in assembling this spring assembly unit having a base support incorporated therein may be performed at the factory of the. spring assembly fabricator,

and that these spring assembly units together with the base support may-be. fabricated according to the dimerr-. sions specified by the upholsterer and shipped to. such upholsterer as unitary structures. Upon delivery of these units the upholsterer is not required to perform the many hand operations heretofore. required in securing the. cushion unit to a base supporting member since it is."

merely necessary to secure the base support member to. the frame by nailing or otherwise fastening the ends 16' and 18 of the base supporting. unit to. the frame.

In addition to providing an upholstery unit having a base support, all of which maybe machineassembled and incorporated as a-unitary structure into the frame'of a piece of furniture, I have provided an assembly in which the coil springs thereof are positively-held in spaced relationship, and an .assemblyin whichany unusual, localized stresses are transmitted. throughoutthe base .of the .assembly unit.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited:

to the particular details shown and described, but may 13 assume numerous other forms and includes modifications, variations, equivalents, and substitutions coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I. claim:

1. A spring assembly unit comprising a group of coil springs arranged in a plurality of rows running in one direction and a plurality of crossrows running in a transverse direction, a border frame attached to the outer edges of the top convolutions of the marginal springs-of the group, sinuous support members extending lengthwise of some of said rows,.each of saidsupport members'bearing against the bottom convolution of each of the coil springs in the corresponding row, each of said support members having opposite ends terminating beyond the bottom convolutions of the coils in the corresponding row, each of said support members being formed of continuous U-shaped portions serially oppositely disposed, said U-shaped portions having legs extending crosswise of said rows, alternate legs being spaced apart a distance:

less than the diameter of the bottom convolutions of .the coil springs, each of said coil springs in said someof said rows having its bottom convolution engaging a pair ofsaid alternate legs in overlapping relation to a pair of said U-shaped portions with said legs of said pair engaging opposite side portions of said bottom convolution,.

directionand a plurality of crossrows running in a trans verse direction, sinuous support members extending length WiSe. of some of said rows, each of said support members bearing against the bottom convolution of each ofv the coil springs in the corresponding row, each of said-support members having opposite ends-terminating beyond I the bottom convolutions of the. coils in the corresponding row, .each of said support members being formed of. con-' tinuous U-shaped portions serially oppositely disposed, said U-shaped portions having legsextending crosswise of said rows, alternate legs being spaced apart a distance less. than the diameter of the bottom convolutions ofrthe coilv springs, each of said coil springs in said some of said rows having its bottom convolution engaging a pair. of said alternate legs in overlapping relation to a pair oflsaid' U-shaped portions-with said legs of said pair engaging opposite side portions of said bottom convolution, each. legof saidpair engagingthe corresponding side portion at two spaced points, and helical wires resiliently interconnecting saidrows and extending crosswise thereof with .said.helical Wires connecting said support members. to' said coilspring, a pair of said helical wires extendingv along each crossrow and encircling said alternate legs of each -pair' and the corresponding side portions of said bottomconvolutions.

3. Aspring assembly unit comprising a group of coil springs arranged in a plurality of rows running in' one direction and a plurality of crossrows running in a transverse direction, a-border frame attached to the outer-edges of the top. convolutions of themarginal springs of the group, sinuoussupport members extending'lengthwise-of some of the rows, each of said support mem'bersengaging the underside ofthe bottom convolution-of each of 'thecoil springs in the corresponding row, each of said sinuous support members having a plurality of spaced legs'extending crosswise of :said rows, each of said coil springs in said some of said rowshavingits bottom convolution engaging-two of said"legs in overlapping relation thereto along opposite side. portionsof said bottom. convolution, each-of said side portions engaging the corresponding'leg at two spaced points, and helical wires resiliently interconnecting said rows and extending crosswise thereof with said helical wires connecting said support members to said coil springs, a pair of said helical wires extending along each crossrow and encircling said side portions of the bottom convolutions and the corresponding legs of said sinuous support members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith Feb. 20, 1906 Kronheim Feb. 10, 1942 Hopkes Mar. 2, 1943 Bartlett et al. May 6, 1947 Gleason June 21, 1949 Reed June 16, 1953 

